My Rights, Your Rights, Our Rights

Consider the nature of our rights and our government. At its core, the Constitution establishes and limits the government. The government flows directly from the Constitution, and only has the powers set forth therein.

Our rights, however, are not given by the government, or even the Constitution. We already have them. The Declaration of Independence references the “unalienable rights” given by the “Creator.” That means we have inherent rights that cannot just be taken away, whether you think of them as God-given, natural, or whatever. Of course, it’s best to not leave vitally important matters to chance, so the Bill of Rights offers clarity and further government limitation.

This matters, philosophically, legally, and otherwise. I gotta run, but more to follow!